Kevin Dowd named new Wayne city councilman

Kevin Dowd during his interview at the Wayne City Council meeting Tuesday night. Dowd was selected by the Wayne City Council at that meeting to fill a vacant term through November.(Photo: David Veselenak | hometownlife.com)Buy Photo

In the first section of voting, Dowd and Wilson were eliminated, leaving just Fisher and Cleereman. In the second vote, current members of the council appeared deadlocked, with three voting for Cleereman and three for Fisher. After a second deadlocked round of voting, it was discovered the voting process in the earlier round hadn't been done properly and all four candidates were made eligible again.

In the second section of voting, Wilson was first eliminated. The next round then saw Cleereman eliminated, leaving Fisher and Dowd.

In the end, five council members voted for Dowd in the final vote, with Mayor Pro Tem Anthony Miller casting the lone vote for Fisher.

"Mr. Dowd will be filling the vacancy," City Clerk Matthew Miller said at the end of voting.

Dowd will sit in the at-large council seat until November, filling the rest of the term formerly occupied by Councilman Jeremiah Webster. He successfully ran against Sanders in May's recall election and occupies the 1st Ward seat until 2020, leaving Webster's seat open.

During the interviews, Dowd said he was aware of the financial challenges the city has faced and understands the current fiscal climate.

"I'm very familiar with the numbers, very familiar with the history," he said. "And as a resident, I've felt the impact of this. I've been a resident for 19 years, so I know what the differences have been."

He said it's important to look at different variables in order to move the city forward, including listening to what the newer generations working in the city desire when it comes to employing them.

"You kind of have to not always do what has worked, but try things that are practical, smart and may have a positive outcome," he said. "From an employment status, people jump jobs a lot more than they used to.

"More than 50 percent are millennials in the workforce. I'd take a pulse on what's going on and what's important to them."

Contact David Veselenak at dveselenak@hometownlife.com or 734-678-6728. Follow him on Twitter @davidveselenak.